DR. NEVERS MUMBA IS OFFSIDE: Misdiagnosis of the Divisions and Political Tensions Zambia is Experiencing
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
Watching Nevers Mumba accuse Bembas and Tongas if fomenting ethnic divisions in the country and as the two key tribes dividing the country is a total misdiagnosis.
We must call a spade a spade.
Hakainde Hichilema’s ascension to party leadership during the UPND conference held in 2006 was extremely shocking and gave us a window of what type of a leader he would be.
Hichilema’s core team campaigned on the basis that “Only a Tonga Can lead the UPND” against UPND Vice President Sakwiba Sikota who was seeking to lead the Party.
The controversial statement originated during the tense 2006 succession disputes following the death of UPND’s founding leader, Anderson Mazoka.
When Hichilema won the race, he failed to condemn or distance himself from the ugly tribal remarks made especially by Rex Ntala, Ackson Sejani, Ngande Mwanajiti and Syacheye Madyenkuku.
Infact when he won elections 15 years later, he rewarded Sejani with a lucrative appointment.
During his entire 15 years in Opposition, his campaign was steeped in tribal talk and the negative weaponisation and exploitation of the Tonga people as being excluded became the cornerstone of his campaign.
He established a negative and unfounded narrative that the people of Southern Province were discriminated against since 1964 yet so many proud sons of Zambia from the area have occupied some of the most senior positions in our country.
When Hichilema’s won elections in 2021, his true colours as a hard-core tribalists quickly manifested , and manifested far worse than founder president Kenneth Kaunda had feared.
He accused his predecessors and others of having formed a tribal clique that ruled the country.
President Hakainde Hichilema stated upon his return from Glasgow in November 2021 from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom that since the independence of 1964, Zambia had been run by a “clique of thieves”.
He repeated similar remarks during his recent interview with Grevazio Zulu heavily expressed criticism of his predecessors.
Yet Hichilema’s government has been the most corrupt, most tribal and most divisive since 1964.
He also throughout his first term, he repeatedly alleged that some people had not accepted him as President of the Republic of Zambia “because of where he was born”.
Both his public statements, his actions and his tribal appointments to all key areas and sectors have been pervasive, dividing the country and destroying the “One Zambia One Nation Motto”.
While he accused his predecessor Edgar Lungu of tribal appointments, his were terrible. Many called this reverse tribalism.
Some would be fooled by a few people appointed as token to hide and cover his inherent tribalism and practice.
But it has become very apparent that in his mind Tongas were discriminated so much that they would be beaten when they be beaten every time they travelled to Lusaka.
Tongas and Brmbas get along very well, have inter married.
It is the dangerous and tribal politics that Hichilema practices that has weaponised the tribal, ethnic and general divisions that the country is experiencing.
Nevers Mumba must exercise courage and state the truth.